Being Cultivators, all of them could see in the dark and had no need for light.
"Proceed as planned. Split into two groups and close in from the north and south." Chu Bai’s voice transmission was low, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Without my signal, no one is to activate their Iron Token’s senses. We can’t risk spooking our target."
"Understood!"
The two teams silently vanished into the labyrinthine alleys.
Chu Bai walked alone into the heart of the market district.
He didn’t search with the naked eye like an ordinary guard. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, and the vast Divine Thought of his Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer cultivation washed over the area like a tide.
Twenty yards, thirty yards...
The outlines of the entire market district’s buildings formed a translucent, three-dimensional map in his mind.
He could even clearly perceive the scenes within the houses on either side: the heavy snores of an old man lost in dream, the restless squirming of a baby in its blankets, even the hushed whispers between several Mortal couples reached his ears with perfect clarity.
A quarter of an hour passed. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful; there was not the slightest trace of Demon Qi.
Chu Bai walked unhurriedly into a dead-end alley called Dahuai Lane.
At the end of the alley stood a great pagoda tree of unknown age, its twisted branches like a monstrous, clawed hand under the moonlight.
At that moment, clothes the townsfolk had hung out to dry during the day were draped over a crossbeam on the tree, swaying gently in the wind and casting flickering, uncertain shadows.
The instant Chu Bai walked past the pagoda tree, the unexpected happened!
A faint rustle of wind came from the shadows of the tree diagonally above him.
Chu Bai’s steady breathing hitched. His Golden Eye Shattering Illusion activated instantly and of its own accord, a stream of dark gold light flashing in the depths of his pupils.
Amid the shadows of the drying clothes, a petite, snow-white figure—so pale it appeared almost translucent in the moonlight—was fleeing frantically along the base of the wall at an unheard-of speed.
’It’s the Fox Spirit!’
Chu Bai’s eyes hardened. Although he still couldn’t sense the slightest hint of Demon Qi on it, its grace and speed, far surpassing any Mortal creature, instantly gave it away.
BOOM!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Chu Bai activated the Fire Element Ring at his feet with his Magical Power.
Two clusters of dark red fire erupted from the soles of his feet, the scorching gale instantly blasting away the snow and fallen leaves on the ground.
Using the instantaneous burst of power from the Dharma Artifact, Chu Bai shot forward like a bolt of crimson lightning. In the instant the Fox Spirit darted out of the alley, he was already less than ten yards behind it.
At the same time, Chu Bai slammed his right hand onto the Iron Token at his waist. A sharp Spiritual Pressure, along with a unique ripple, instantly transmitted through the Array to Hu Hao and Feng Qin.
"Target spotted! Southeast quadrant! Close the net!"
The Demon-slaying Guards who received the signal burst from the shadows. In the distance, the clash of armor and the sound of urgent footsteps could already be heard.
However, the Fox Spirit’s reaction was far quicker than Chu Bai had anticipated.
Seeing its escape route blocked, the white figure twisted bizarrely in mid-air and swept its tail.
In that instant, a thick, pink mist billowed out. Within the vision of Chu Bai’s Golden Eye Shattering Illusion, overlapping white afterimages appeared, making it impossible to tell which was real.
’An Illusion Technique?’
Chu Bai snorted. He brought two fingers together, and a sliver of Innate Geng Metal Qi shot from his fingertips, piercing straight through the nearest afterimage.
But it was a fake.
The real one had used the shifting shadows of the clothes to slip like a fish into a leaky gutter, then began leaping back and forth across the intricate network of eaves and tiles.
Its speed was immense, and its agility within the narrow, obstacle-ridden market district was simply astounding.
Though Chu Bai was empowered by the Fire Element Ring, giving him explosive speed, he didn’t dare unleash any powerful Magic Techniques in these winding, densely populated alleys for fear of harming the sleeping Mortals.
’Trying to escape?’
Chu Bai tapped his toe on a roof tile, activating his Fire Step Ascension once more.
But the Fox Spirit was incredibly cunning. It seemed to anticipate his movements, and each time Chu Bai was about to grab it, it would use the branches of the old pagoda tree or a sheet of drying laundry as cover, vanishing into a blind spot.
After a few exchanges, the white shadow flashed across a roof ridge and disappeared completely into the deep darkness.
By the time Hu Hao and Feng Qin arrived with their men to surround the area, all that remained was the faint, lingering scent of fresh greenery.
"Captain!"
Hu Hao looked up at Chu Bai on the roof ridge and cupped his fist, his voice full of self-reproach. "Forgive our incompetence. We let it escape."
Chu Bai stood high above, the moonlight outlining his cold profile. He wasn’t angry. He simply glanced down at the lingering, icy sensation on his fingertips.
"It’s not your fault. This Fox Spirit’s Concealing Breath Technique... it’s not innate."
A flicker of unprecedented gravity crossed Chu Bai’s eyes.
During the chase, he’d realized that not only was the Fox Spirit fast, but it had also easily evaded the senses of his Mystic Curse.
"It hasn’t just gained intelligence. I’m afraid it’s learned a few tricks."
Chu Bai leaped down from the eaves and dusted off his hands.
"Split into three teams. Hu Hao, take your men and search the east streets. Feng Qin, you take the west. It can’t have gotten far. Now that we’ve spooked it, it’s bound to find what it considers the safest possible place to hide tonight."
Chu Bai’s gaze fell on a few of the oldest manors in the market district, the ones cloaked in the deepest shadows. A dangerous smile touched his lips.
’Keep searching. I’d like to see just how long you can hide on my turf.’
"Yes, sir!"
Chu Bai paid no mind to Hu Hao and the others as they fanned out to continue the search. Instead, he turned and, alone, once more set foot in the deep, silent alley known as Dahuai Lane.

Comments

Loading...